Chapter 2 Summary and Analysis

The Allied invasion of Oran in Morocco was broken into three types of assaults. The first was a sudden "secret" attack on the city itself. This was carried out by a small group of infantry in former Coast Guard cutters with the goal of keeping the French from destroying the harbor facilities. A paratrooper assault was also set up to seize the two airfields south of the city, and main landings to the east and west of the city were planned to secure airfields and then send reinforcements to surround the town.

The first attack was to be the direct one on the port itself and was very controversial. A senior Navy planner considered it suicidal. British optimists assumed that the French would not resist in any meaningful way, and the plan was adopted. The two ships crept toward the harbor...